It was expected to be a victorious homecoming for the Tour of Italy finisher, but instead a gang of early-race aggressors hijacked Ciaran Power's attempt to take his first national championship yesterday. Blackpool, Cork, was the venue, possible selection for the reduced Olympic squad one of the driving motivations and flatout racing the nature of the day.
At the end of 100 hard, hot miles, 1996 Olympian David McCann completed a bonanza week in the best possible way, leaving the cream of Irish cycling in his wake and surpassing his two previous silver medals.
In retrospect, his recent results pointed the way: last Sunday he was third in the Isle of Man mountain time trial, Friday second in the Manx international, and yesterday his upwards velocity continued and hoisted him to top spot on the podium.
It has been a memorable year for the Belfast rider, with a string of encouraging foreign results and his latest performance, ahead of a strong Brian Kenneally and 1998 junior world champion Mark Scanlon, has surely boosted his chances of attending a second successive Olympics in September. "It is great to win this," he said, a broad smile on his face and a gold medal glittering around his neck. "Between the road, the track and time trials I have seven or eight silvers, so it is great to finally get to the top of the podium."
For professional rider Ciaran Power, the accumulated fatigue of racing the 22-day Tour of Italy and the week-long Circuit Montanes overcame his ambitions of bringing a national champion's jersey back to the professional peloton; undoubtedly the strongest of the current breed, but yesterday the dubious consolation of an early shower was his only return.
Disappointment too for riders such as Aidan Duff (home from France), defending champion Tommy Evans and Belgium-based Dermot Finnegan, who along with Power found themselves stranded when a strong group of 12 riders sped clear shortly after the start.
Alarm bells ringing. The breakaway had success stamped all over it, with cyclists of the calibre of Scanlon, McCann, Kenneally, Eugene Moriarty, Italy-based Michael McNena and Milk Ras yellow jersey David O'Loughlin uniting to establish a decisive lead.
One minute, 1.40, two minutes plus; the time-gaps kept growing as the pressure from these six splintered the front group and consigned Power et al to little more than a supporting role. From that point, it was a whittling down process, with McCann countering an attack by Scanlon to draw clear going onto the final lap. Kenneally bridged with impressive ease on the sixth ascent of the stiff Old Dublin Road climb and combined with the northern rider to eke out a gap of 40 seconds with seven miles remaining. Kenneally ahead of McCann, McCann ahead of Kenneally; the final outcome was very much in the balance until the northerner put the head down and kicked clear, opening a 50-metre advantage which he was to maintain to the line. "I thought that it was going to come down to a sprint between the two non-sprinters in the front group," said the disappointed silver medallist.
As for Scanlon, the prodigious 19-year-old out-galloped O'Loughlin to take his first senior medal, prove his injuries of last year are fully behind him, and most importantly show that he is on his way to building on the promise. Back on track and smiling again.
France-based cyclist Colm Armstrong out-sprinted last year's winner Michael Dennehy to take the Junior Road Race Championship yesterday. Over three laps of the same course contested by the seniors, Armstrong proved best in the six-man dash for the line, with Sean Lacey scooping bronze.
